Ep. 146: "Where the Spot Is"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Episode 146 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Troubled drummers, bulk Gatorade, more typewriter and Rockford Files talk, and a bunch of amp questions. Reminder: Amplified Parts now has ! Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show. Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to ! Include a photo, too. Some of the topics discussed this week: :43 The Ampeg book (), George Barnes and 'Guitars Galore' 3:43 A 1982 black panel Fender Champ 4:43 A Super Reverb that...
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Ep. 145: "I Have a Swimming Pool"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Episode 145 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Kahlua brie, replicating Nirvana's In Utero sound, hissy reverb units and more! Thanks, as always, for being a part of the world's finest call-in tube amp repair show. Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to ! Include a photo, too. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:17 Skip makes even more stuff for John Vanderslice & Tiny Telephone; Skip's take on the MTI Tubes pedal 8:18 Skip's Premier 90-inspired reverb unit 15:20 Our sponsors: ; ...
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Ep. 144: "You've Got to Feed Those Things"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Episode 144 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Flashing Flukes, reflections on NAMM, variable plate capacitors, hot buttered rum (and popcorn!), and more! Need some help with your tube amps? Be a part of our show by sending your voice memo or written questions to ! Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:13 Jason goes to the NAMM Show, the Dumble relaunch (watch our Instagram video ); Grit Laskin's 'The Stradivari Formula' (); Wood Wire & Volts () 11:49 What's on Skip's bench: A late 1940s Danelectro Vibrovox; Wandre Guitars 20:57 Our sponsors: ; and ! 25:14 A...
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Ep. 143: "The Girl Who Never Rained"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
A throwback, lo-fi landline episode just for the purists! Caller waiting beeps, the state of the guitar show, an energized Skip, and more. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Recorded on January 13, 2025. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:31: The LA fires 3:34: A recap of the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; are guitar shows just for eating now? estuaries and prison proposals 34:00 Our sponsors: ; and ! 36:56 The origins of goop; Standel amps and their little plastic boxes, Mark Sampson (aforementioned amp ) 43:24 Skip's death caps (not...
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Ep. 142: "Paul Jerky"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 142nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps! Join Skip and Jason as they field all of your pressing guitar amp questions. Plus...recipes, music and book recommendations and more! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :00 Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas classics 1:14 Our sponsors: ; and ! 5:37 Supermarket Sweep; The Office 7:27 ; listener John's Angela parts list 8:27 Another Tweed Harvard by Skip? 9:33 Let's celebrate the TAVA makers; the TAVA Cookbook () 11:09 A 1970 Davis PA Head with a...
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Ep. 141: "I've Got an Alamo That I Want to Forget"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Missing your rambling relatives this holiday season? You're in luck! Tune in to Jason and Skip as they ramble through weather reports, amp fixes, book recommendations, reflective impedance, reverb-driven line-out and more on our 141st episode! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 Weather report: Rain in the West, bomb cyclones in the PNW 4:32 A 1968 Heathkit catalog with DIY Harmony Guitar kits 6:35 Thanksgiving at the Simmons house 7:09 A noisy Alamo; Pathfinder, the band (); bands named after...
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Ep. 140: "Tiny Bits of Tingle"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 140th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons eventually fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! As always, use all advice at your own risk. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: 2:35 What's on Skip's Bench: A modified ES-150 Charlie Christian amp with a non-field coil speaker 4:22 Smilin' Skip's: Stuff for Sale 5:15 Loma Rica's Aztec Recording Studio; the Ralph Shine Blues Band; Skip's new guitar; Sylvia Massy (); Weed, California; the Fretboard...
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Ep. 139: "I'm Going Negative"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 139th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Some of the topics discussed this week: :48 On the bench: A 1974 Alembic pre-amp, a Showman head in disguise 3:58 Webb's Music and a hang gliding pioneer 6:08 Our sponsors: ; and ; the Wood Wire & Volts Show in Anaheim (); Bruce Harvie of Orcas Island Tonewoods 11:10 Skip has a warning for the TAVA ...and others 14:38 A luthiers' pet peeve 16:55 Bias...
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Ep. 138: "Check for Ticks"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 138th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we pay tribute to Angela Instruments founder and former guest Steve Melkisethian (1950-2024); talk resistors and transformers; catch up on the 2024 Fretboard Summit; and much more. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Don't forget, we have a . Join us to get show updates and get to the front of the question line. Some of the topics discussed this time around: :58 R.I.P. Nick Gravenites...
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Ep. 137: "Walk Around the Yard"
The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
It's the 137th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all-things-tube amps! This week, we talk to special guest, Steve Carr of Carr Amplifiers! Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to . Our sponsors: , and . Don't forget, we have a . And come to the . Some of the topics discussed this time around: 2:22 Steve Carr () joins us for an enlightening talk about prototyping, speaker cabs, Solen caps, tone controls, and so much more. He even fields a few of your...
info_outlineToday, we celebrate the millionth download of our podcast with one of our favorite conversations to date: Longtime TAVA contributor Larry Chung joins Skip and Jason to talk about the zen and art of early tube amp restoration and so much more.
We also tackle a bunch of questions from our listeners about PAs, field coil speakers, guitar amp finds, and other surprises. Want to be a part of our show? Just email us a question or voice memo to [email protected].
Our sponsors are Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, and Grez Guitars.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:43 Thanks to you all, our Truth About Vintage Amps just hit a million downloads!
2:21 Our millionth download giveaway: Voltic Electronic Devices DTF fuzz (Instagram). Enter by November 1, 2023!
4:17 Special guest Larry Chung: Getting electrocuted on his first amp repair; Skip's OG appearance on Fretboard Journal Podcast #224 (link); a love for '30s and '40s PAs and amplifiers; the intrinsic joy of working on amplifiers; 'How to Repair Small Appliances' by Jack Darr; 6N6/6B5 tubes
29:43 Radio's Master and the hidden value of old catalogs
33:12 Why was the dark art of speaker reconing never documented?
35:20 Larry's unique approach to components when it comes to antique amplifiers; not rushing amp restorations
40:54 A not-so-stock blonde Tremolux; a White amplifier found at the dump; Soursound transformers (link)
48:08 The tone circuit in Gibson EH-150s with the high/low settings, collecting amps as a reference library
51:03 The sound of a field coil speaker vs. a standard speaker with the same amp
53:17 Do field coil speakers need maintenance beyond the actual speaker? the upper response of field coil speakers
57:58 Field coil into ground amplifiers
59:07 A Skip-serviced Masco Audiosphere 10 for sale in Amsterdam
1:00:15 How to dry out an amp that's been soaked by a storm; Kenny Vaughan's "Mysterium" (YouTube)
1:04:23 A Precision Electronics PE-25 PA head that sounds terrible
1:15:04 What is this Marshall 100-watt head?
1:19:17 Do I need to replace all the resistors on my 1940s Masco MA-25; SF's Kilowatt Bar (link)
1:24:45 Baking butternut squash as per the 'Joy of Cooking'
1:25:54 The magic of vintage pots, Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series; the Bros. Landreth 'Let It Lie'
1:32:31 Adam Levy's 'Spry' (link)
1:35:28 Troubleshooting a Masco MA-25/ME-27 with a loud hiss
1:44:13 Larry's book recommendation: Norman Maclean's 'Young Men and Fire' (Amazon link)
Recorded October 9, 2023.
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
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